“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” (1 John 4:13 NIV)

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

I once mentioned to a person that it is pretty much impossible for us to fulfill the command to love (Matthew 22:34-40). In fact, there’s nothing we can do by ourselves. His response was that he will do those things “as much as humanly possible.”

The problem with that type of thinking is – it’s just like what the Pharisees tried to do. They were careful to obey God’s laws, but neglected the more important matters, such loving their neighbor (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42).

This doesn’t mean that the laws were useless. God’s purposes for the laws were to show His holiness and how far we fall from obtaining it.

He had forgotten that faith itself is also a gift from God – nothing we have ever accomplished comes from ourselves (Ephesians 2:8; Isaiah 26:12).

Give credit to whom credit is due!

It’s 2019 soon. Let’s no longer live in a way that is humanly possible.

Start living in a way that’s made possible only by God (Matthew 19:25-26).

How humanly possible?

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”– Genesis 11:1-9 (NIV)

More than once, it had occurred to me that it would be nice if more people in my country knew American Sign Language. As a deaf person, communication with the vastly hearing population in my community would much, much easier.

For many of us in the D/deaf community, we tend to face multi-level challenges due to the lack of access to various services in the community. D/deaf individuals need sign language interpreters because lip-reading is a tedious, impossible method to gather complete information of what is being spoken and hearing individuals usually do not sign. Plus, not all D/deaf individuals lip read.

Lip reading, also known as speech reading, is a skill that is 90% guesswork and luck. We should not be placed in situations where we are required to have full hearing in order to understand and have access to spoken information. Communication should not be gambled on whether the person will be able to guess accurately and be lucky enough to have someone who does not have – say – a murmuring way of speech (lips that barely move, even if the spoken words may be clear to hearing individuals).

Systematically, we do not have access to hospital services, job interviews, court proceedings…we usually are denied the request for a sign language interpreter during interactions with the police, and even in the education field.

As one professor that I worked with in the Lexington School for the Deaf noted, many of the challenges faced by the D/deaf community is “about having access to language.”

Language holds power.

This is not limited to the D/deaf community alone.

Hearing individuals also face struggles when they interact with others who communicate in a different language.

Whether we are hearing or D/deaf, whether we prefer to speak or sign, we give preference to those who communicate in the same language as us. We shun and ostracize those that do not share the same language.

Instead of focusing on what divides, let us focus on one thing we have in common: Christ died for us all. Through His selfless sacrifice, we received the proof of the most important thing that Christ spoke to us in the most universal way: love.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“- Romans 5:8 (NIV)

“A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” – Proverbs 15:1-4 (NIV)

A letter to ladies and gentlemen:

It is good to be honest, to treat others well, to be respectful and kind, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, and wherever you meet them.

Human relationships can be incredibly complex, and most of the time, they are very vexing.

There may be times when some of the people you meet begin thinking that the reason why you treat them well is because (in their eyes) you are interested in a potential romance.

I don’t think this is expressed enough: you are not at fault if someone misinterprets your actions and words to mean something romantic or that there is “something there.” You are not obligated to reciprocate that person’s feelings.

Rejection hurts. It always does. You are trapped now, in an uncomfortable place. You like that person – but not in a romantic way. You like that person as a good friend. You value the friendship. It has happened before, or maybe it was the first time. You are not sure of how to gently and kindly express in clear terms the truth to clear their misunderstanding.

My advice is, just tell them, privately, directly. Be kind and patient. Above all, be clear. They may get upset. Chances are, things will become awkward. It is, after all, in human nature, to reject in turn when being rejected.

At best, you both will learn to move on. At worst, the other person becomes petty, vengeful, hurtful, vindictive… Maybe you will notice that the mutual friends or people around you will not treat you as warmly as they once did.

Do not worry. If the worst happens, I hope you know that you are not at fault. That you will be able to move on. It hurts for while, but sometimes the wisest course is to leave. These moments are life lessons to be learned. You will learn to not only continue to treat others the same way you want to be treated…but to also choose your friends carefully. People will always misinterpret and misunderstand you. Do not let that change your love to become cold and fearful of those misunderstandings. May you be wise.

“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18 NLT).

“‘Do not steal.

“‘Do not lie.

“‘Do not deceive one another.

 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

 “‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

 “‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.

 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”” – Leviticus 19:11-18 NIV

Have you ever noticed that in Leviticus, as God teaches Israelites how they are to conduct themselves before the elders, parents, neighbors, the earth, and even how they treat the animals, He repeats the same phrase: “I am the Lord”?

It took me a while to finally understand that He was not just reminding the people of His sovereignty and Who they choose to follow as He taught them laws and decrees.

He was teaching them the key to successful relationships: love.

When we love God, it also changes how we see and care for others – and ultimately, how we conduct ourselves with others. Loving God leads to loving others. That is why Yeshua, in response to a Pharisee’s question about the greatest commandment, said:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” He did not end it there. Yeshua further adds: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40).

All the laws that God commanded to be obeyed – not to steal, not to kill, not to covet (for all we do comes from the heart. Read Proverbs 4:23) to honor parents…for most of us, it seems pretty obvious that this type of conduct is an honorable way to live.

However, back in the ancient times, it was not seen that way. People believed in the old adage, “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” If someone took out an eye of one person, it was believed that in revenge, in order to compensate for the lost eye, TWO must be taken. That cycle of violence and bloodshed needed to be curtailed somehow.

This exceeding wickedness of the human heart is why God began by placing limitations on the violent human behavior. All that rage, malice, desire for revenge, the cycle of bloodshed and violence … through the laws and prophets – God established how far they can go (Jeremiah 17:9; Deuteronomy 4-34). God did not just eliminate revenge. He knew there needs to be compensation for the wrong – a price to be paid.

This ultimate price of our sins was paid by God through Yeshua on the cross thousands of years later (Hebrews 12; Colossians 2:6-15).

God did so much more. In addition to setting boundaries (keep in mind that these are not God’s ideal standards for us. Rather, these laws were preparing us, the entire human race, for the perfect ideal, which was shown through Yeshua), He taught people how to love others. Love leads to respect. Respect leads to breaking the cycle of bloodshed and violence. Indeed, through Abraham, all nations are blessed (Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18).

This teaching of love begins and ends with the Lord.

Remember, He is the Lord.

“Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.“ – 1 Samuel 15:35 (KJV)

We all have tasted the bitterness of death. Through a loved one, even those we never really knew that well.

With death is bitterness. With death is loss of hope.

Many times people have told me they believe that death brings life meaning. If we are honest with ourselves, if the only point of our lives is to die, there is not much of a meaning or a reason to live to begin with.

Rather, death is suffering, a result of being separated from God (Romans 5:12). Christ triumphed over death (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:25-26; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 2:14; Romans 1:4).

This is what we are experiencing. The brokenness within ourselves and the world around us. The bitterness that remains years after death tears people apart.

In all this, through Christ’s resurrection – who is the cornerstone of our faith – we have hope (1 Corinthians 15:23). The hope we have through Jesus will not fade or change, regardless of our circumstances and our sufferings here and now (1 Peter 1:3-12).

My prayer is that you who read this will remember how Christ suffered and died – and that He understands deeply our pain. The loneliness, abandonment, persecution – despite having done no wrong, grief, despair. My hope and prayer is that you will seek Him out yourself, to know that the Lord is good. He will be found (Jeremiah 32:27; Jeremiah 33:3; Psalm 50:15; Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 29:12; Joel 2:32; Luke 11:9-10).

The Lord is indeed good. The world and ourselves are broken as a result of sin, which separates us from God. Apart from God, there is no life. Death is the absence of life, just as darkness is the absence of light. Christ is our life and light, our hope (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5-9; Ephesians 5:14; James 1:17).

May you find the hope that you have been seeking, and may you enjoy life abundantly.  Until then, know that we all earnestly yearn for ourselves to be filled with life.

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:” – 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (KJV)

“All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.” – Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)

As we move on to 2018, we also take time to look back and reflect. One thing I ask of you as you focus on your past, hopes for the future, and plans for today: what deeds have stemmed as a result of your faith in 2017?

The title of this post is pretty self-explanatory. Many of us tend to go to church not because we want to serve others. Rather, we go to church to serve ourselves. Therefore as a result, we are “alive” in church, but truly dead in faith!

I am not saying that we should give up on church entirely. In fact, church is important to our spiritual growth (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Before you become offended, let me explain. If you cannot remember the last time you testified to someone of what God has done for you in your life, thereby encouraging your brother and/or sister in their own faith – why do you go to church? Have you served others in love, praying for them in earnest before God, toiling for the good of others? When was the last time your faith prompted you into action?  When we act on our faith, this results in us and those around us seeing God’s work manifest in you and in others. When have you struggled to sincerely serve God and people without any real or perceived benefit to yourself?

Lastly: be honest – does the church need you? Or is it really you who needs the church? Are you so blind that you believe the church cannot function without you? Truly, Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23), so don’t think about boasting that the church can’t function without you (Proverbs 27:2; James 4:16; Jeremiah 9:23-24; 1 Corinthians 3:21). Since Christ is everything and truly all we need – trust me, you aren’t that important – yes, you are not! But that’s the truth. Everything is about Christ, and goes back to Christ. Not you! Read Romans 11:11-31.

If you have been going to church only because it is something simply expected of you to do so, you are missing the purpose of the church. Church is not a building or a group of believers who gather together to simply worship, eat, then go home. Church is a body of believers, and Christ is the head of the body (1 Corinthians 12; Colossians 1:18). We all are there to serve one another, not to benefit ourselves or fulfill some so-called “minimal” expectation or “obligation” we place on ourselves to do so. Rather, church is where we grow in our understanding and capacity to truly put our faith in action. In other words, church is a training area for Christians. It is the fullness of Christ. That’s why Paul likens living a life that pleases God, becoming more and more Christlike to training for a race. A marathon. He also has compared Christians to soldiers – and truly, we are. (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 2:3-10). As Christians, we are called to be a rampart, to stand in the gap and pray for all people (Ezekiel 22:30; Psalm 106:23; Isaiah 63:5; Jeremiah 5:1; Isaiah 58:2; Isaiah 61:6; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Romans 15:16).

Now before you start thinking about all the failings, shortcomings, etc. about the church, tempted to complain or are already complaining in your heart about the church, the people you do not get along well with, or simply just do not like for one way or another, read this: Philippians 2:14-16.

There are churches that preach or believe in the wrong things, but that is another matter entirely, which I will not go into detail here. That said, if there is something lacking in the church, perhaps it is God revealing to you the need for you to pray for that particular need (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Be careful! Don’t fall into the trap of pride and boasting. Christ is the head of the church, not you! More importantly, the need that you see in church might be exactly what God is using in order to prompt you to seek Him and pray about it, so that you might be able filled with wisdom to fill that need. Christians have a saying: our problems are God’s opportunities! You are part of the church, and your job is not passively or irresponsibly wait for “someone else” to do it. That someone else is you!

Now as Paul writes to us about faith and deeds: believing in God, that Jesus exists, and Holy Spirit is at work in us is simply not enough. Let’s read James 2:14-25:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”

In sum, Paul points out what everyone likes to tell everyone else: mere talk and beliefs are cheap. Anyone of us can say we have faith. Well, good! You have faith, then prove it! Live it out! If you do not know where to start, my answer is simple: begin with prayer. After all, it all goes back to God – everything we have is from Him, and everything we give is for Him! We cannot do anything by our own power or strength, but by His Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Why else did Christ die for us in order to pay the penalty for our sins? Why else did God give us His Spirit (John 14:15-27; 2 Timothy 1:7; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:16-18). Remember, God is continually at work in you AND in other Christians.

Ask God to help you live out your faith. Work to continually examine yourself honestly and become who you are meant to be. Be humble, don’t look down on others. Become an example for others to follow. He is faithful and will do what you ask. Moreover, He will give you more than you can ever ask for, think, or imagine (James 1:5; 1 John 5:14; John 14:14; Ephesians 3:20-21).

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” – James 2:26 (NIV)

This year, starting 2018, let us all truly be alive in faith.

“We can’t help what we feel!”
“We cannot control who we fall in love with!”

Cheap words. Cheap perspectives. Cheap love.

Love is an action (you choose to patient. You choose to be kind. You choose to sacrifice, etc.), a choice you make.

You chose to love.

Those words lack of accountability. Relationships with these type of beliefs start and end bitterly because it is based on feelings – there is no discipline, no responsibility towards self and the other.

That is not love.

If love is simply a hedonistic feeling, changing ever with the flow of the tide, circumstances and whatnot – Christ would have never died for us. Truly, because were never worth saving.

The ultimate sacrifice of Christ gives us our worth – not the other way around.

Honor God with our bodies as a living sacrifice. That includes giving all our heart and soul to Him, and choosing to love others the same way He loves us.

Not based on feelings.

But true, actual, genuine love.

“I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.
Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end.  The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect.  But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways.  It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me.  So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13 (NCV)

“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” – Genesis 12:1 (ESV)

As humans, it’s natural for us to gravitate towards the familiar. Even after a shakeup in our lives, we always return to the comfort of the old routines, following the way we are used to living as we had before.

But what if you received Word from God, telling you to go wherever He tells you?

God gave such a command to Abram. He did not specify a place, but simply told him to go to the land that He will show him.

Although Abram was not familiar with a place that God would show him, Abram was familiar with God.

Are we familiar with God? Or are we more familiar with what we see, the general life we tend to live daily, the routines we unconsciously or religiously devote ourselves to?

When we become familiar with God, we tend to gravitate more to Him. As we grow closer in our relationship, growing to know Him more, we become more dependent on Him.

This is the kind of progress we need to have in our lives, the kind of trust that Abram had in God.

He calls each of us into the same journey as Abram did – maybe not into a new country, but definitely out of our comfort zones. My hope and prayer is that you will follow His calling, that your faith will not fail – for He who holds you in His hands is faithful.

Let’s begin each day with prayer and praise to follow Him. Do not fear – He who began this good work in you will finish it (Philippians 1:6)!